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Loveness Bepete Chronicle Reporter
A gold panner in Esigodini was brutally axed to death in a suspected ritual murder that has left the local community shocked. The body of Zothile Sibanda, 29, was discovered with missing private parts, arm, hand, his heart ripped-off and his leg chopped off. His relatives found two hats and a dollar note at the crime scene, giving rise to suspicions that the gold panner was murdered by more than one person.
The murderers dumped Sibanda’s body near a railway line in an effort to conceal their crime.
Relatives said Zothile’s body was found on Sunday morning at around 5AM.
Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson Inspector Philisani Ndebele confirmed the incident.
“Investigations are still underway to ascertain the cause of the death. Once we conclude our investigations and establish what really happened, we’ll come back to you,” Insp Ndebele said.
However, Khumbulani Sibanda, a cousin to Zothile said they suspected foul play.
He said he last saw his cousin at around 4AM after they had gone for a drinking spree at Habane, a nearby suburb.
“On Saturday evening we went for a beer drink at a nearby bar with my cousin. While we were at the bar, my cousin had a misunderstanding with some other gold panners.
“At around 4AM, I looked for him so that we could go home but he was nowhere to be found. I assumed he had gone home and left the bar for home,” Sibanda said.
He said he was shocked when neighbours broke the news of his cousin’s death to him.
“A neighbour who wanted to board a bus was the first to see him and immediately alerted us. When I visited the scene, I discovered that Zothile had a missing leg, hand, a deep hole near his chest suggesting that his heart could have been removed and his private parts were missing,” Sibanda said.
He said they found the arm and leg a few metres away from the scene.
“His private parts, heart and arm are still missing. We’re worried about the missing parts. The murders are trying to make us believe our relative was killed by a train. This isn’t true. What kind of a train targets private parts? There’s nothing like that.”
Zothile’s wife, Listen Dube, told of how she was jolted by the news of her husband’s tragic death.
She said she did not even have the courage to look at her husband’s disfigured body when she was taken to the crime scene.
“I’ve never come across such a tragic and horrific incident in my life. Imagine waiting for your husband at home and the next thing you hear is that your loved one is no more. I was shocked to hear that his body parts, including his private parts, were missing,” Dube said.
Khumbulani Sibanda said burial arrangements were yet to be concluded.
He said the family was waiting for elders to arrive from Lupane.
“Our family is faced with financial challenges and we had to sell a cow in order to raise bus fare for our parents who are now on their way,” he said.
Zothile is survived by wife, Dube and a three-year-old son.
Online Reporter